Timers: Finding Time as a Work at Home Mom
We as moms always want more time. Every night at the end of the day we wish for just one more hour. Do you look around at the end of the day and the family room is a mess, the laundry isn’t done, and there are dirty dishes in the sink, and somehow that blog post didn’t get written? AND you are exhausted?!? Where did the day go? Do you want more time tomorrow?
Become the Queen of Single-Mindedness
It is just too hard to divide your mindspace in so many arenas all at once. It is hard to have your mind split between the mommy mind and business mind and home-keeping mind. Don’t give 33% to each of these all at once. Concentrate your focus 100% on one area at a time. When the kids are not at home during the week and all at school, I split up my time between work time and home-keeping time and release my mommy mind for a while. I do this this with the help of two dollar store timers. One is set for 45 minutes and one is set for 15 minutes.
Accomplish Big Tasks in 45-Minute Intervals
First I push start on the 45 minute timer and I put my head down and concentrate on getting a work-related task done and completed before the timer goes off. I do a work-related task like write a blog post, or check in with all of my social media sites, or plow through emails. I will push myself to be single-minded and get a blog post done and complete and published in one 45 minute segment.
Can you crank out a proposal or start and finish a client project in 45 minutes? Can you check in with Twitter, FaceBook, and LinkedIn accounts and put up a post or two, respond to all mentions, inquiries, and comments AND reach out to at least 2 people on each platform in 45 minutes? I want you to push yourself to get a task finished and accomplished by the time your 45 minute timer beeps.
Accomplish Small Tasks in 15-Minute Intervals
When that timer goes off, I grab the 15 minute timer and clip it on my body and go. This is when I am singly-minded towards home-keeping! I can sweep the kitchen, throw in a load of laundry, and grab a glass of ice water in 15 minutes. I can vacuum the family room, fold all the towels, and grab a glass of ice water in 15 minutes. I can wash one set of dishes, make my lunch, and grab a glass of ice water in 15 minutes.
I totally have this side to me that is Betty Crocker 1960ish. I believe that attending to home-keeping helps everyone and your entire household. Having things comfortable and organized will save you time… will save you time in getting ready in the morning… will save you time because you are not looking for items because you know where they are.
Also, keeping up on home-keeping and making an effort is great for your marriage. When you show your spouse that you care about making your house a home and a priority, he is more able to respect the time you spend on your blog and business.
When you put your blog above and before your family and when your husband and kids walk through the door and the house is in disarray, with dirty dishes in the sink, and laundry piled high, that immediately and absolutely sends a message of your priorities. This makes for a very hard row to hoe to get family buy-in to this super great awesome thing you love.
Have Daily Dedicated Family Only Time
I have two blocks of time I do my absolute best to protect for family-focused time and I turn on my mommy mind. The first time segment is 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. This time is spent on getting my three kids up and going for the day, starting the day with sunshine, smiles, and dedicated to starting off their day right even though I am so not a morning person.
Then I do my absolute best to not work at all between 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. When my first of three walks in the door at 4:00 p.m., I drop everything and rush to the door to greet my 12-year-old with a big smile and a hug and literally help him unload his backpack and his day. We have time together before the two younger siblings get home and I see this as a very special opportunity for some alone time to connect with my son. We have a snack together and chat about his day for as long as he will let me.
I am literally mommy-minded from when they get home from school until they go to bed. They need my help, energy, and focus. They cannot be made second fiddle. We have so precious little time with our kids, I cherish it and make sure they know that they are my priority during that time.
If there is an occasion I do have to work, I let my family know in advance so they are prepared and know what to expect. Also, I often have prepared for this time with a movie rental that none of them have seen or a craft kit I picked up at Michael’s. The point is that I am prepared and they are prepared and it goes so much smoother.
Join Me and Join the Timer Revolution
Go to the dollar store and get two timers and see how they will become your friends who will help you find more time as work at home mom. Challenge yourself and see what work-related project you can crank out in 45 minutes. Next, strap on the 15 minute timer and fly through your house getting things done quick and good enough (not perfect) and you will be truly amazed at what you can get done!
What helps you to find more time and accomplish your daily tasks? Have you ever used a timer to help you throughout the day? How do you find time as a work at home mom?
In the past 10 years, Melissa Lierman has spoken at more than 300 events to audiences on social media, marketing, website development, and SEO. She applies those skills in her day-to-day professional life as the director of social media and consulting for Mom It Forward, Inc. She also manages the social media for Premier Fitness Camp, ZarBee’s, and The Madow Group. When she’s not speaking, she loves the one-on-one consultation she does with brands, PR agencies, small businesses, and bloggers. Melissa has three children, is a mom blogger at TimeOutMom.com, an avid tweeter @TimeOutMom, loves connecting with people, and lives in central Canada.
Great article Melissa. I love the way you use timers. I recommend that anyone (not just moms) use timers to help them plow through tasks that are not fun or interesting to them. For me, that is housework!
If someone doesn’t have a chance to go to the dollar store, chances are that they can set a timer on their stove, microwave, computer and/or phone.
Awesome post Melissa! Lots of great specific tips on how to get all your jobs done well. I especially love the single minded “compartmentalizing” you do to work best at each of your responsibillities. Love all your organizing tips! Hugs and happy organizing!
I need a timer that includes an electric shock to keep me in line. I work 30 hours from home, shuffle the kids around and work on my blog late at night or on the weekends. Everything that I do is half-ass because I am always overwhelmed. I am going to give this a try today. Wish me luck!
I think the timer is the unsung hero of productivity. WIthout a boss breathing down our neck or anything more than self-instilled deadlines and goals, it can be hard to motivate when you work from home and have so many distractions to contend with (a basket of dirty laundry can derail me JUST as effectively as my kids can!), so using timers is a GREAT way to focus.
TECH TIP: My Mac will “say” the time to me… I have it set to tell me when “It’s 10 o’clock” on the hour. Keeps me on schedule. Much like a timer would.
Does your PC do that?
Great ideas. I always aim for basically the same hours as you – but the procrastination keeps me from finishing at 4. Maybe the timers will work!
Start working from home can be really difficult if you don’t have the right guidance and help. You should be proud of providing that help!
I really like this post ~ My first thought was about honoring all of the different parts of our lives by taking each one seriously enough to give it undivided attention. That’s quite a gift.
Also, thanks Carley. I had forgotten about that feature.
Such a simple and effective tool – thanks for the reminder! Picking 2 timers up this weekend. I’ve needed you to tell me this dozens of times in dozens of ways – this blog post finally sunk in!
Great idea about the timers- I think I’m going to give that a try!
But what do you do when your kids aren’t school aged yet? I don’t have a chunk of my day that I can devote completely to housework and my blog, and I find myself getting overwhelmed sometimes.
I second this… Would love to hear a response to “But what do you do when your kids aren’t school aged yet? I don’t have a chunk of my day that I can devote completely to housework and my blog, and I find myself getting overwhelmed sometimes.”
I used and use timers with pre-schoolers. They were very excited about the timers. I would say when this timer goes off, mommy is going to play a game with you! Or mommy needs to go clean the kitchen, here is your broom, come help me sweep! I start teaching them about my time segments and this is work time, this is play time, this is cleaning time. Even if they are too little to sweep or help take laundry out of dryers, you can speak it as you teach it. I also used timers for time-outs with even 2 year olds and 3 year olds :=)
I break of up the work time / blog time with blocks of time. Maybe use 3 timers. So first timer is 30 minutes blogging and tell little ones when timer goes off you will play with them. Then when timer goes off set the 15 minute timer and play on the floor and read books with them. Then when the 15 minute timer goes off, set either the 30 or 15 minute timer and tell them you need to do some housework / homekeeping. Include pre-schoolers as much as you can in the activity or parallel activity. They think sweeping is fun! Give them a swiffer or electric broom that will pick up stuff. I recently got an inexpensive yellow cannister vacuum from wal-mart and my 3 year old is convinced that it is and was for HIM! He won’t let anyone else vacuum with it! He will vacuum the family room for the full 15 minutes and it is picking up dirt, so that makes mama happy!
Great Angelle! Timers are great for kids of all ages! Let me know how it works out!
Yes! Single-tasking instead of multi-tasking! Let me know how it works out for you!
Working at home is soo hard! I think it is harder than working at an office. You have to be self-disciplined. It’s all on you if you don’t get your work done and if you don’t get your work done – you don’t get paid! Timers really help me balance work duties and domestic duties. Timers are great for kids of all ages and families!
Maybe segmenting time like this will help you concentrate more on each task at hand. If you get a break from work stuff and do some domestic mixed in, I guarantee you will get more work stuff done!
Give it a whirl and let me know how it works out!
Of course PCs don’t do that! Not that I know of! Those Macs do such wonderful things. Yes, you can get de-railed by homekeeping tasks like laundry – but when that 15 minute domestic timer goes off – let it go and go back for more later. You will also find yourself racing the timer to finish tasks!
#1 – Don’t be so hard on yourself! We moms are doing more than EVER before! #2 – really give it a try! Give it your all in each effort. Give it your all for 45 minutes at work and try and get one blog post done in 45 minutes. Try and check all of your emails and do quick answers in one 45-minute segment. Try and do all of your social media connecting on twitter and fb in one 45 minute segment. You will be AMAZED what you can do in one 15 minute domestic segment. You also know that you are only doing 15 minutes of even those most thankless household task like cleaning a bathroom!
Thanks so much Ellen! You are always such a super supporter! I am a huge fan of you! Love your blog! It is filled with awesome tips, advice and articles http://www.professional-organizer.com
Laura, great suggestion using timers in your house until you can get to the dollar store! I love that I can clip on the 15 minute timer and run…. You do a lot of work in the ADHD community and timers could be very useful for this community to stay on task – maybe start with 5 minutes at a time with a child and then work your way up… 5 minutes reading, 5 minutes cleaning your room, etc for the first week…. and build up!